Perestroika… oh where to start. Let’s talk about that orgasm shall we…!
Reading that was genuinely one of the most interesting things I’ve ever read, and it got me thinking about how powerful FEELING GOOD actually is. It is a radical act in and of itself, but specifically for Prior. At the cusp of the AIDS crisis, men were advised to stop having sex, which can be interpreted as sexual barriers and infringement on their freedoms and desires. I could never imagine living through this and advising the world that their sexuality must be halted and closeted for the world. When looking at the context of “Plasma Orgasmata” and how the Angel fits into all of this, I notice that there is an extreme sense of hypersexuality in this religious space. We can also bring up the fact of a gay man being the prophet and such, but I really appreciate the sensualness and campiness we get to experience in this part… especially since this man is gay and just encountered 8 vaginas (spiritually of course). I think the most interesting part is the creativity of the word choice in this act. Starting on page 163 and ending on 174, the Angel says things like “the universe aflame with angelic ejaculate” and “seraphic rut,” which emphasize this idea of divine sexuality within deep religious imagery/queer spaces. Queer bodies are divine; queer bodies are heavenly and should be treated as such. I love what AIA did in this scene to camp it up and also make a comment on the socio-political relationship of the church.
That’s all for now queens.
– Para Scisscors
It’s also interesting watching the scene during class because it allows the experience as a whole to be enhanced in a different way. The way the the room cracks as well as the props that fall off the shelves allow for this big “orgasm” emphasizing on the pleasure while also indicating the unknown of the said Angel that appears in front of the chosen prophet. In addition, it can also fit into some religious context, like Mormon, as the angel rains down with their 8 vaginas adding to this sense of complexity of emotions.
Your reflection highlights how Angels in America turns queer desire into something sacred, explosive and joyful. In a time when AIDS rhetoric is pushing for celibacy and shame, Kushner writes us this insane orgasm to remind us that queer pleasure is a part of the divine. The hypersexual language (“seraphic rut” “angelic ejaculate”) switches religious imagery into queer power and elevates ideas that society tried to say were mental illness. Prior becoming a prophet through pleasure is gives the look of queer sex as holy, creative and political. Iconic commentary Queen.
I like how you queried the. Intercrossing of sex and religion. For many cases in history it is banned or forbidden like when women were forced to wear chastity belts or even nudity in sculpture was taboo. If you go to Rome many statues are missing genitalia as a result of ann upsurge in conservatism. Another example of human desire and religious push back is a statue of “Le genie du mal” A statue meant to be the devil but was found by the public to be very handsome and distracting. The statue was taken down because of the temptation it was said to bring to young women. The shunning of natural human practice has been shamed in ways that are some inhuman. Not all desires are a bad thing, the argument comes into place when that desire hurts other people.